


These Little Signs

by Redgrave



Series: Devils Never Love [2]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: DMC5 is not allowed in this house, Established Relationship, M/M, Post DMC4, reader beware: high amounts of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-06 09:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20289355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redgrave/pseuds/Redgrave
Summary: Nero said "I love you" all the time... he just didn't use words to do it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still looking for a beta. Pls, I need someone to save my non speaking english neck.

“_Let me see if I understood... you are worried that... I’m gonna get my heart broken?_”

“_In a quite childish way, that's the essence of what I said._”

“_… really?_”

“_Of course, I'm your partner and your friend, it would be strange if I wasn't worried._”

“_... no, for real this time._”

“_I'm not playing, I really care about what happens to you with all of this._”

“_If this wasn’t material for the twilight zone, I would be laughing. Come on, shouldn't you be warning me not to break the kid's heart?_”

“_Oh, he's not the one who worries me... I know you're not playing around. This is the first time I've see you being serious in a relationship. And according to what I talked with Lady, neither did she._”

“_Hey, thanks for talking about my private life behind my back, I love being the center of attention even when I’m not present._”

“_You'll thank me later, if you take my warning and go carefully._”

“_Oh, please, it's the kid we're talking about, he's totally harmless._”

“_Hmn, and you forgot about the whole affair with that girl in Fortuna? Isn't it true that Nero admitted he misunderstood his feelings for her? They may decided to keep their relationship as family... but I doubt that you two can even remain as acquaintances if he is also confusing his feelings about you._”

“_Trish, baby, calm down. I feel totally moved seeing your enormous concern for me and my oh-so-valuable heart, but I'm really going to have to laugh at all of this._”

“_Well, don’t listen to me, I understand is not my business... but I warn you, I’ll not interfere if all this becomes a fiasco as always happens to you._”

“_It's good to see that I can always count with you._”

* * *

Devil May Cry was a difficult business... and an absolute bastard one. Yes, bastard, because it seemed that for some reason, when everyone was free and had time, there was no good job offers; on the contrary, when everyone was busy with their respective missions, the phone seemed to ring ten times at day. So unfortunately, Dante had no choice but to get into action and take the jobs that under other circumstances he would assign to his "collaborators."

So when he arrived at the shop already late in the afternoon, all he wanted was to eat pizza and watch TV after a whole day of nefarious jobs, simple but still tedious. As soon as he closed the doors behind him, he realized that the building was empty, since the huge silence and the lack of presences made that fact clear.

Approaching the desk while taking off his weapons, the half-demon took a quick look at the notebook next to the phone, looking at a scribbled address on the top sheet, along with the hour and the letter "D" noted. Nero always did that when he went on solo missions and there was no one else to tell about it; given the information, it had been at least an hour since he left and from the address Dante could they it would be take another couple of hours for Nero to return, even taking into account the type of work that, in the boy's opinion, was a rank D -the mission’s ranks were Lady’s idea and proved to be quite practical for cataloging jobs-. So Sparda's son was going to have no choice and wait for Nero to come back. But let it be no mistake! It wasn't as if Dante felt lonely or like he was behaving like one of those people who languish for love. Of course not! It was just that when Nero was present, everything was more entertaining... so Dante didn’t miss him, at all... well, maybe a little, but just a _little_, let that be clear!

Rolling his eyes, Dante proceeded to remove his beloved coat and hang it on the coat rack near his desk -where he left Rebellion, Ebony and Ivory- and finally made his way to the kitchen coming back with a plate full of slices yesterday’s pizza and a cold can of tomato juice. Satisfied with his booty, he sat down in his usual place, raising his legs in the air and dropping his crisscrossed feet on the desk. Taking that moment to relax, he had to admit that at least having such work’s amount gave Lady less time to annoy him, since it seemed that lately the brunette was a little sensitive because his debt was going down -thanks for the most part to Nero's good administration- but hey, it wasn't his fault that Lady was such an usurer.

Since there was no other choice but to take advantage of the calm he had, the half demon made himself to try and enjoy it; that way he let his thoughts fly freely while he eat until he finished. Having nothing else to do at hand, Dante prepared to get up and go to the kitchen again when by chance he took a look at his mother's photograph that rested over the desk’s surface... and then he stopped, because he noticed something was out of place. The picture’s frame was different.

Dante took it with his right hand, drawing it towards him to inspect said change; previously the frame had been made of wood, which was a stark contrast to the metal frame in which the picture now stood; it was not any metal, because the white-haired could easily deduce -thanks to his expert weapon’s knowledge- that it was silver. The frame also had delicate and elegant floral carvings in its four angles that really went very well with his mother’s mien. Dante left the photograph in its place again, bringing the opposite hand to his forehead and tilting his head up, releasing a fleeting hint of laughter at the unexpected surprise he just received.

It was quite clear that Nero was behind said surprise, for two simple reasons: in the morning when Dante left, the photograph was still in its previous frame and second, Lady and Trish were out of town for a couple of days. Nero was the only one to blame... and Dante couldn't complain about it, not when for some ridiculous and indefinable reason, it was comforting in a way. There was something unique about the fact that Nero worried enough to do such gesture, since the youngest didn’t know much about Eva or Dante's past in general because it wasn’t a topic that commonly talked about, it could be casually commented on, but never going into too much detail.

Even so, without Nero really being aware of it, he always managed to amaze Dante with small details like that. And now surely he was getting sentimental or something, because Dante had a sudden desire for the former knight to return soon. But hey, he still didn’t look like someone languishing for love.

* * *

Dumary was a pretty picturesque island, so to speak. With the exception of some demons that still remained thanks to the extinct Uroboros company, everything was peaceful; in fact, it could even be a good tourist destination… well, at least it was if you were an experienced hunter. Perhaps that was the reason why Nero hadn’t objected to accompany Dante for the second time to that place.

Lucia required Dante’s presence because she found some underground ruins that seemed to be strongly related to Sparda and if that was the case, it was best to investigate and make sure there was nothing there that could be misused, frankly, Dante already had enough with everyone trying to steal Force Edge to access Sparda, not to mention, of course, Fortuna's fiasco that also involved Yamato... and deviating a little from the subject and thinking about it, it sounded like something insulting that nobody ever wanted to steal Rebellion, it a great sword too, eh! But anyway, that was not the issue now, because what was more important was to explore the ruins and take care of any incident that could happen.

So far, it was approximately forty minutes since they entered the depths of the ruins, which were perfectly illuminated by torches hanging on the walls, that seemed it to remain perpetually lit and revealed that certainly there was some supernatural force involved, “what kind of force?” remained it to be defined.

“I’m really grateful you came” Lucia commented, with an almost solemn tone “It worried me that I could find something I couldn’t handle alone.”

“There is nothing to be thankful for” replied the oldest of the three, lightly “Even if I don’t like it, is my job to take care of every problem Sparda made” he shrugged casually.

“Oh” she barely said “I don't know if they are necessarily problems, but I think Sparda did a lot for humanity, that's why my clan is still willing to...”

While they walked through the long corridors of the abandoned construction nothing happened that could put them on alert, no appearance of demons or menacing presences, so Lucia hadn’t even noticed the moment when her right foot stepped on a tile that automatically activated the mechanism to which it was attached. And in just a blink, a portion of the roof that was above them collapsed at high speed.

Although Dante was the first to notice, it was Nero who moved fast enough to turn on himself, firmly grabbing the oldest by the right arm with his devil bringer and then proceed to throw him hard to the front. Dante skidded his boots against the floor, turning just in time to see a huge tile hit the other two, making him shout Nero’s name between the cloud of dust and rocks that rose.

Approaching hastily, Dante could clearly see that the damage hadn’t been as drastic as it seemed at first, because there, perfectly standing and with his right arm raised over himself was Nero, who had perfectly stopped the impact with the translucent extension of his devil arm, effectively protecting Lucia and himself, and even if she was on the ground, she didn't seem hurt. The boy straightened his posture, moving his arm to one side, throwing the remnants of the huge rock.

“Geez, too much dust is bad for my allergies” it was the first thing Nero said, with his usual passive sarcasm, while shaking his coat “Hey, you all right?”

He knelt next to Lucia, who was beginning to react, proceeding to help her, not really worrying too much knowing she was a demon too.

“Yes, thank you” replied the redhead, sitting briefly on the floor before looking up “I didn't expect something like that.”

“That means you need to play in the major leagues more often” said Dante in a sly tone “But it was about time for this party to get good.”

“And I thought this was going to be a quiet walk” Nero spoke, shrugging his shoulders “I hope I won't end needing new clothes or you would have to pay this time.”

“You need to spend less time with Lady, is affecting you.”

“She buys me things” was the artificially innocent answer.

“You know? This is totally unfair, I’ve known her for a lifetime, I’m almost her brother but is you who she treats well. There’s something wrong going on here.”

“Don't be so melodramatic.”

“You're right, that's your job” and he gave a teasing smile “By the way, nice reflexes, kid. You’re learning.”

“Tch” was all the answer Nero gave, rubbing his nose with one of his fingers.

Dante simply widened the smile on his lips, swallowing the comment he had on the tip of his tongue.

Dante had been honest with this comment, but it really wasn’t Nero’s reflexes what drew his attention from what just happened, since it was impossible not to realize that Nero had thrown him out of harm’s reach, giving away that he certainly was more concerned with Dante's safety than his own. Not that Dante really needed to be protected from something as insignificant as a roof falling violently over him -worse things happened- but the fact that Nero reacted like that, was something full of meaning, since Dante knew very well that need of urgency to protect someone, because it was something that happened quite often to him in presence of the youngest half demon. And then the hunter in red laughed, gaining confused glances from the other two.

It wasn’t like he was going senile; he was just happy.

* * *

The fact that Trish could easily pass as a Love Planet employee was the main reason why the blonde wasn’t a fan of the night establishment.

But since Dante declared they needed a celebration after their last job -a fantastically well paid one- she had no choice but to accept. So upon entering, the familiar scent of alcohol, tobacco, sweat and other unpleasant things filled her nose -another point against why it wasn’t her favorite place in the world-, although it didn’t seem so bad either, because unlike the other occasions in which she had been there, the place was more empty and clear, so it wasn’t very difficult to find Dante, who was sitting near the main stage. In fact, he was more than just sitting, because he was surrounded by beautiful women, who kept smiling at him and laughing, with one of them standing on his left side with a bottle on her hands which she used to fill the glass that the hunter had in one of his hands. Definitely Dante was the living image of a single man giving himself the good life.

The blonde frowned, coming to the conclusion that Nero wasn’t present but that conclusion was soon put aside when, as she took a few steps and taking a quick look again at the entire establishment, she realized that unexpectedly Nero was there, sitting at the bar counter. Trish raised her eyebrows, deciding to go in his direction, dodging people and sitting in the conveniently unoccupied place on the right side of Nero who turned instantly when he noticed her presence, giving a slight nod as a greeting.

“You’re drinking alcohol?” it was the first thing that she said.

The boy took a look at the content of the glass in his left hand.

“It's not alcohol” he replied simply.

“I should’ve guessed.”

The huntress really thought there was something odd about Nero -beyond his demonic nature- because it didn't seem quite normal that he didn't drink alcohol just because... but frankly at this point, Trish could expect anything coming from Nero. If the boy didn’t want to drink alcohol it was his business, but the blonde wasn’t going to follow his example, so she didn’t hesitate to ask for a Bloody Mary. She completely turned on the counter and leaned her arms and back on it, elegantly crossing her right leg over the left, making it impossible for she to not look alluring.

“So...” she commented in a casual tone “Are you having fun?”

“It could be worse” he said, shrugging “I could be in a church listening a boring sermon from an old crazy man.”

“I know you're an expert with those kind of things.”

“It's just my luck” and he smiled at the blonde “On the other hand, you also have a lot of experience with religious cults.”

“Please, let's not go into that territory.”

“Why not? Gloria wasn’t that bad.”

“Nero, personally I think you’re adorable... but make no mistake, despite that I’m still very capable of harming you, dear.”

“Honestly, what’s with Lady and you? You both take any comment as an invitation to attack” and although he tried to make his tone sound aggrieved, the amused smile on his lips contradicted him.

“That's how women are on this side of the city, so you should get used to it.”

The white-haired didn’t add anything else because it was unnecessary. He had enough time to know that Trish and Lady were dangerous women, even if he was still fortunate enough to say he didn’t have any "disagreements" with either of them yet and he hoped it continued that way. Perhaps Dante had no problems with being shot at close range or being thrown cars, but Nero had.

When Trish got his drink, she took a sip and took a few seconds to savor it while changing the position of her legs and crossing this time left over right. She intentionally let some moments pass before expressing what she was thinking.

“You know?” she finally said “I thought you would be angry.”

“Why?”

“It’s not obvious? Dante and... the company he has at the moment.”

Nero looked at her for a few seconds and then shrugged.

“I _am_ angry.”

“Really?” she questioned with genuine interest “You don't look like it.”

“Just because I’m not breaking the chairs of the bar doesn’t mean I’m not mad.”

“And how are you so calm then?”

“He’s not doing something bad.”

That answer took the blonde by surprise; she turned to where Dante was and made her job to watch him carefully. Certainly, beyond the fact that he was surrounded by lush scantily clad women, he wasn’t touching any of them, since his right arm was resting along the back of the sofa and he was holding a glass with the other one. As far as one could judge, the seemingly unique entertainment of Sparda's son was getting to have that group of women listening to him attentively, smiling and behaving as if he were the most wonderful being in the world. Which wasn’t strange because Dante loved attention to feed his ego, but that was just his nature.

In past times the scene that Trish saw would’ve been very different, since it wasn’t necessary to mention that Dante would be doing more than just talking to those women. But those times were already distant and as far as the blonde could corroborate, Sparda's son was faithful to a surreal extent.

“I must admit that I’m impressed by how mature you are with all of this” she said with a playful air.

“It’s nothing special that I haven’t shot at him yet.”

When the blonde was about to add something, it happened that Dante glanced in her direction, smiling and giving a nod as a greeting that she corresponded with the same gesture. Then the other looked in Nero's direction, giving the boy a lighter smile, who simply raised an eyebrow but smiled back at Dante. That silent exchange lasted a few more seconds before Dante returned his eyes to one of the women who had apparently called him, while Nero on the other hand took a sip of his drink.

Trish was amazed -to say the least- since the easiness of the she just saw seemed too harmonious to be real. Not every day one saw a person who was serene like the morning while his romantic partner was surrounded by people working in a strip club.

“There are things about you two I’ll never understand” and Trish faked a resigned sigh.

The hunter shrugged again, disregarding the matter, however his gaze continued fixed on Dante’s figure, who smiling, accepted another glass of drink that was offered by one of the women in the group.

And to the blonde's bewilderment, Nero smiled slightly before turning to her.

“If that makes him happy” he said simply “Who the hell I am to stop him?”

Trish never thought she would feel as much admiration for Nero as she felt at that moment. And maybe Dante was right and she had been worrying about nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reasons I need a beta: I didn't know "signals" and "signs" weren't the same thing.

He ran as fast as he can, as if instead of trying to get home, he was running away from a horde of fierce enemies. But who could blame him for the urgency he felt for reaching the well-known site of Devil May Cry? Even if he had been away for a few days on a mission, any fatigue or discomfort was dissipating as his accelerated steps led him closer and closer to his destiny.

Unlike Lady, Trish or Dante, no matter how much hurry he dad, Nero never entered kicking the doors -sometimes even with enough force to detach them-. So although he wasn’t gentle when he entered the shop, the doors suffered no damage.

The former knight appreciated with a quick glance that nothing was out of place in his absence, including Dante, who was lying in the long sofa of the room, with a magazine over his face. Rolling his eyes, the youngest hurried to get to other’s side, for the enthusiasm that had been accompanying Nero since he began his return home had only increased in the other hunter’s presence. Upon reaching his side, Nero took the magazine and threw it carelessly backwards, frowning at seeing that with all the noise he made, the other white-haired hadn’t moved not even a little.

Raising his left eyebrow, Red Queen’s owner firmly grasped Dante's nose with the middle and index fingers of his right hand.

“I know you're awake.”

Finally, Dante stirred before Nero tightened his grip.

“What the hell, kid?” he said at the same time Nero released him “I was trying to be romantic here.”

“You were just pretending to be asleep, how’s that romantic?”

“Because you were supposed to wake me up with a kiss of true love.”

Nero raised both eyebrows, giving the other man a skeptical look.

“You know what? I don't even know why I bother” said Dante.

Nero rolled his eyes again and shook his head lightly. While Dante stood up, the boy was about to start complaining when he remembered the reason of his previous excitement, so he stepped back and raised his right arm, smiling expectantly.

“You'll stop your nonsense when I show you what I got” the youngest said.

The distinctive brightness that emanated perpetually from Nero’s devil bringer intensified, glowing strongly in the same usual way it did when Nero summoned Yamato or on the contrary, when he absorbed it. However, the explosion of light that followed did not reveal the shape of the well-known katana, but instead showed a weapon that Dante hadn’t seen before. It was a crossbow, red and black; the rope shone brightly as if it were made of red-hot metal; the arrow that was placed in it also possessed a peculiar luminesce and the tip seemed suspiciously stained with a dark reddish liquid that was dripping from it, but the drops vanished midair before touching the floor.

“Pretty cool, right?” and there was a bit of pride in his voice.

“Aww, your first devil arm. You're growing so fast!” he said with some mockery but still affectionately “How did you get it?”

“It was under a garden” he frowned as if he wasn’t satisfied with his own answer “Well, the mission I took made me go to a castle and for reasons I don't understand, I always end in secret passages and weird shit like that.”

“Oh yes, I understand. Happens to me all the time” he commented amusingly.

“After getting the books the client wanted, I discovered an underground chamber and found this” he raised the weapon a little more “It was on a platform so I guessed it was something important.”

Dante took the crossbow in his hands and practically purred when he felt the energy emanating from it.

“The exit I found left me in the middle of a garden. If you ask me I think it was a lame way to get a devil arm.”

Dante laughed heartily, since the stories he told the youngest about how he obtained his devil arsenal made in fact Nero’s story sound a little mundane.

“Is still a legitimate way” he answered nonchalantly “Did you give her a name?”

“Helsing or at least that was written where I found it… and if you’re planning on trying your new toy, go outside. We don’t need more chaos in the office.”

“_My_ new toy?”

“Well, yes” he shrugged “You hoard devil arms like they’re drugs so it would look good in your collection.”

Dante lost interest in examining the magnificent crossbow he was holding and instead watched Nero carefully, until after a few moments of intense observation the ex-knight began to feel uncomfortable, making him frown.

“What?” he asked with some stiffness.

Sparda's son simply shook his head, grinning broadly, putting one of his hands on Nero’s head, ruffling his hair in that gesture that he knew well the youngest disliked, so it wasn’t surprising that Nero tried to slap his hand, opportunity that Dante took by reacting faster to caught said hand, bringing it to his lips, placing a gallant kiss on the knuckles.

“Thanks, kid. It will definitely look good with my collection.”

Nero remained silent, looking at him with that expression full of conflict that meant he didn’t know how to react, so laughing Dante let go of him.

“I'm serious, thanks.”

Finding nothing better to do, Nero sniffed and then rubbed his nose with his left hand, shrugging his shoulders.

“It's not a big deal” he finally said.

Ah, but in a sense that gesture had more meaning to Sparda's son than the youngest knew. The fact that Nero took the habit of doing things like that, made Dante feel like the other always found time to think of him… which was a flattering and disgustingly attentive notion, but still, absolutely well received.

* * *

There were certain times when Dante seemed to suddenly lose his usual animosity and isolate himself a little; that behavior didn’t last long, but it was notorious enough that anyone could notice it at the first glance.

For many years Lady only had to deal with these phases once in a while... and she knew perfectly well the reason behind the obvious melancholy her eternal companion of adventures suffered -and frankly, the only family she could recognize as such-, since it was related to that fateful day in which both of their paths crossed under terrible circumstances. Lady had ended up with a dead father, for who she had never shed a single tear again... Dante instead ended up losing a brother, who, despite all the monstrous things he had done, Lady held the certainty that Dante not only had no resentment for him, but on the contrary, he still loved him enough to feel nostalgic despair for his death.

By the time Trish joined the "family", those taciturn episodes in Dante were almost gone, however, in view of what happened on Mallet Island, again those despairing lapses resurfaced. Lady was sure it was because of his brother's second loss that Dante had renamed his business to "Devil Never Cry". However, that change didn’t last long and Dante chose to return the original name to the shop. Frankly Lady preferred not to ask about it when all of that happened.

And finally, since Nero became a daily part of Devil May Cry's picture, Dante hadn’t suffer from some of those moods relapses in his presence.

Of course, that had been until the day when, after returning from a mission, Sparda's son didn’t seem to have his usual mood; so, when he had gone directly to lock himself up in his room -well, technically, his and Nero’s room-, Trish and Lady had the feeling they already knew where things were going and consequently, when Dante decided to go to the building’s roof, neither of them was surprised that the minutes became hours with him up there. When Nero returned from the mission he left for, Trish was responsible for making him aware of the situation, explaining it in the way she could best to just reveal the essentials without saying too much about it, because honestly the blonde didn’t even know to what extent Dante had spoken to Nero about the whole Vergil affair.

The normal course of action was to left Dante decide when to "join" the world again on his own accord, so Lady and Trish were already accustomed to leaving him alone while he solved his internal issues. Naturally that had been the recommendation given to Nero but the youngest wasn’t really convinced by it and so, he chose to go up to the roof where he met Dante, sitting on the edge, with his legs hanging in the hair. The eldest turned to see him with a light smile on his lips, giving a small greeting that the former knight replied to; Dante nevertheless returned his sight towards the front almost immediately and the youngest was momentarily unsure of what to do. Determined to continue with what he previously thought, he advanced with conviction until he reached where the other white-haired was and contrary to anything the owner of Ivory and Ebony expected, Nero didn’t sit to his side, but proceeded to sit behind, turning his back on him.

A long silence occurred then, without Dante feeling the need to break it, so they remained like that, letting time pass between them and the apparent feeling that they were far away from each other even if they were so close. Nero wasn’t really sure how much passed -although it must’ve been quite a considerable time- when he felt Dante’s back leaning against his own, resting his weight on him.

Nero simply smiled and continued to remain silent, holding his ground while Dante used him as a support… in more ways than one, perhaps.

* * *

Enzo Ferino left Capulet City more than fifteen years ago. His intention had been to live in a quieter and less cursed place. The truth was that the city he settled in, although it didn’t have demons twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, still had his own supernatural problems, but hey, no city was perfect and at least in his new city the fights against the supernatural rarely involved humans directly and for Enzo that was enough.

However, the fate and business led him back to his hometown, in which he hadn’t set foot since the day he left. The changes in Capulet City were remarkable but it was difficult to decide if the city had really improved or if it was simply the buildings that were different. Trying to do his business and leave as soon as possible -because he had a family to return to- Enzo didn’t lose a second and began to settle his affairs. However, just two days after arriving, he couldn’t help breaking his itinerary a little, since long ago when he lived in Capulet, Enzo had a business partner... that had to be admitted, it wasn’t one of his best business but still, he remembered him with enough affection, perhaps for nostalgia or because in his youth that association seemed great... or maybe because of the simple and mere fact that even if he had been problematic back in the day, Dante had actually been his friend too.

So, when he arrived at the building that housed Devil May Cry, Enzo was surprised not to see that the place was still standing -because he previously informed himself about whether it still existed or not- but because it looked much better than he expected. Of course, that surprise was little compared to what he felt when he saw Dante after so many years, and for the expression that appeared on Dante's face -so different from the brat Enzo remembered- apparently the feeling was mutual.

It took them hours to catch up, sitting at a nearby bar, enjoying one bottle after another and laughing at things from the past. By the time they both realized, three o'clock in the morning approached and they were already the only people left in the bar that had closed, but given that apparently Dante and the owner were friends, he didn’t have inconvenient to let them extend their stay a little longer. In the end, Enzo decided to rent a room on the top floor to the bar that belonged to the bar’s owner too, because if he wanted to continue his work the next day he had to sleep at least a couple of hours and for the distance, getting back to his hotel wasn’t the best option; Dante instead made a call to ask to be picked up, not because he was worried about his safety -which was obviously ridiculous, because if Dante had something, it was that he could take good care of himself in that accursed city- but because after all the bottles he drunk alone, he felt somewhat lethargic, not wanting to make all the walk back to his home.

So when the hunter's personal “transport” arrived, Enzo met a boy he definitely didn’t know, but who seemed as unmistakable as his old friend, mainly because they both had silver hair and bright blue eyes. Dante barely made a slight presentation between them, when the boy -now identified as Nero- proceeded to go to the owner -who also seemed to know him-, asking for the bill and giving a considerable amount of money enough to cover what Enzo and Dante consumed; then Nero went to where the Dante’s sword was leaning against a wall and took it, saying goodbye to Enzo on his way out to the exit.

What had just happened looked so natural that it was obvious this wasn’t the first time Nero was in this kind of situation, however before Enzo could ask about it, Dante said goodbye, inviting him to go to his shop again as many times as he wanted before he finished his business in Capulet City. Ferino saw his friend climb in a red convertible and disappear in the almost total darkness of the streets.

After a long yawn, Enzo headed towards the owner while he made sure to finally close properly.

“I didn't know Dante had a son” said Enzo, yawning again.

That was the most logical conclusion, although from all the things they talked about, it was something peculiar that Dante put aside something as important as that, since Enzo himself told him about his wife and children.

The owner of the bar, a man who appeared to be close to his fifties, smiled then, walking towards a door that was near the where bottles were stored.

“He’s not his son” he answered with an enigmatic tone “But...” and shrugged “It’s not my business to talk about the life of my customers, if I did they would no longer be my clients.”

Enzo simply raised both eyebrows in a mixture of confusion and curiosity, but a third yawn made him forget everything and concentrate solely on following the owner to the room he rented. Enzo would ask Dante about this guy Nero next time, just to get that doubt out of the way, even if it was obvious there wasn’t anything special about him, not like those two were lovers or something like that… it would be ludicrous!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reasons I'm not a game dev: A crossbow named Helsing was really the best thing I could think for a devil arm. Next time I'm just gonna shamelessly steal Bayonetta's weapons. Dante would do wonders with Kulshedra.


	3. Chapter 3

As she climbed the steps of Devil May Cry's entrance, Lady adjusted the harness that held Kalina Ann tight to her back. For the past few days she had been busy with an important job and thus several others accumulated; so she decided to visit her business associate to give him the most complicated mission she had in hands and that way not lose any of the other jobs.

When she entered the shop, who received Lady wasn’t her old acquaintance, but Nero, who at that time was sitting behind the desk, wearing large black headphones, presumably listening to music while at the same time reading a book. On occasions like that, the contrast between Dante and Nero was quite remarkable, because if it had been the first, surely she would’ve found him reading a magazine and listening to loud music all over the office.

The boy looked up, taking off his headphones and letting them hang from his neck, allowing the faint music coming from them to be heard.

“Long time no see” said the white-haired in greeting.

“I was busy with some business” she answered “And for those business I’m here. Where’s Dante?”

“Upstairs” he pointed with his thumb “He arrived a while ago from a mission and said he’ll sleep all day because he was up the whole night yesterday.”

“With that attitude I’m not surprised his business isn’t prospering.”

The hunter raised both eyebrows and his expression seemed to indicate that he was going to say something, but in the end, he preferred to remain silent.

“Anyway, I have a mission for him” and the tone of her voice made it clear that it wasn’t a request “If you can be so kind as to go get that fool out of bed you would help us speed things up.”

Nero didn’t respond immediately and instead, he took the headphones from his neck at the same time he turned them off, leaving them on the desk.

“What rank?”

The brunette raised her left eyebrow and put a hand on her waist.

“Oh, you’re not thinking what I’m thinking” she said with some mockery.

“Well, yes” he said quite confidently “No one called today and here I am, bored, that mission seems to be just what I was waiting for.”

“Unfortunately this is a matter for grownups.”

“I’ll take the mission on Dante’s behalf and knowing you, you were probably planning to take money from there. So let's get to the point and tell me what rank and how much do you want?”

The woman raised both eyebrows and ended up crossing her arms, supporting the weight of her body on the right leg.

When Nero arrived at Devil May Cry, Lady found a certain charm in his total ignorance of both: the demon-hunting business and the world in general. And that was because although the boy was obviously not dumb, he grew up in a religious community with traditions and customs quite different from those of Capulet City and in general pretty much any other city; so she had no problem in taking Nero as some kind of ward, since the boy was easy to talk to and seemed accustomed to getting orders, although he wasn’t always good at following them.

“Okay” she gave up with a sigh, uncrossing her arms and placing both hands on her waist “It's rank B and I want seventy percent.”

“Hn” he didn’t seem surprised or convinced “You have the contract?”

The huntress twisted her lips and let out a derisive sigh, but ended up bringing her right hand into one of the pockets of the short jacket she was wearing, pulling out a pair of folded paper’s sheets, holding them between her index and middle fingers.

“You know? I liked you a lot more before” she said in a teasing way.

“Hey, it's not my fault you really didn't use contracts” he replied, taking the sheets and unfolding them “All businesses need a contract, even ten-year-olds know that.”

“I didn't know in Fortuna have time to teach that to children. I thought they were busier worshiping demons and opening hell gates.”

“You learn it in school” he replied with conviction “Between the class of: 'Call Sparda’s name for everything' and the class of 'Obey the old bastard that wants to fuck up the world'.”

Lady rolled her eyes at the same time a little smile appeared on her lips.

Even if in the end Nero had made enough changes to make her feel dissatisfied, it wasn’t so bad either. If the complete truth had to be said, since Nero arrived at Devil May Cry, things changed for the better. It wasn't just the fact that now the office remained clean, they were more calls or more jobs were successfully completed... it was just that in recent times, Dante looked happier, more than Lady had seen him in a long time; it was true that Sparda's son had the habit of always be smiling, taking things lightly and in general, living in a certain indolent way... but despite that, there was a huge difference between that carefree attitude and the way now he seemed so content with himself and everything surrounding him.

It could be obvious for anyone that Nero was responsible for that.

“I’m taking it” the half-demon finally said after he finished reading the contract “But it’ll be fifty percent for you” he said resolutely “And that’s a lot for the kind of job this is.”

The brunette crossed her arms again, twisting her mouth with displeasure.

“At least is a good amount to deduct from Dante’s debt” he added more casually, drumming the fingers of his right hand on the table “So I hope you’ll have the receipt ready when I get back.”

Lady let out an indignant sniff and leaned down on the desk, placing both hands on it, staring at the boy behind her dark glasses.

“Be glad I haven’t shoot you yet” she said in a warning tone “But I’m sure that one of these days I’ll change my mind.”

“Wouldn't that be cruel? I mean, considering all the souvenirs I've brought you from my missions.”

Lady straightened up, taking the dark glasses and placing them over her head, revealing her pair of bicolored eyes, which she narrowed at the same time as a pronounced sideways smile was drawn on her lips.

“Yes, be very glad” she said again “And I definitely liked you better before.”

Nero smiled and simply raised both hands in the air, as if he were apologizing.

Much later that day, while Lady was still waiting for Trish to arrive for a job she had agreed to do with her, Sparda's son finally showed up at the office after he slept as he pleased; the human didn’t miss the opportunity to complain about the wretched straw that Dante brought to the shop. The half-demon however didn’t pay much attention to Nero "taking care" of his business, but at the fact that somehow, Dante was almost sure the main reason for the former knight to take the job was to let him stay in the land of dreams.

So when Lady told him that he was a lucky bastard for having Nero there, Dante couldn’t do anything but wholeheartedly agreed with her.

* * *

Probably if he weren’t a demon hunter -or a half-demon for that matter-, Dante would’ve seriously considered devoting himself to the music world, because with his talent, his voice and his looks, he didn’t doubt that fame would’ve fall on him like a storm.

But unfortunately, he had to dedicated himself to less glamorous things, such as saving the world. That didn’t diminish the fact that he played in his spare time any of the instruments that were scattered in his office and that were saved from Nero and his cleaning campaign, in an effort to give a better image to the business. In Dante's opinion, if he went to a “killing demons” business, seeing their bodies hung on the walls as trophies would give a good impression, because it showed that said business was good at its trade... but from Nero's point of view, it was trash.

Getting back to the instruments, Nero, unlike Dante, wasn’t a natural prodigy, so the first time he tried to play something -even if he had a notion of the notes and what he was doing- it was terrible... perhaps the fact that the former knight used Nevan for that attempt was also factor for disaster… it goes without saying that an electric guitar that at the same time is a devil arm, isn’t the most appropriate choice for a beginner in both things: playing guitars and handling demonic weapons. For that reason, one of the first things Nero saved money for was to buy an ordinary guitar.

Since then the ex-knight improved a lot from that first attempt and Dante admitted he was good enough to not bother him while practicing.

And it had been in one of those practice sessions when the owner of Ebony and Ivory accidentally noticed something unusual, an insignificant detail that could been easily ignored if it hadn’t been because Dante usually paid Nero special attention.

That same night, while Nero was asleep, Dante got out of bed stealthily, directing his silent steps to the small table where Nero put every night the rings and wristband he daily used. It was then that Sparda's son proved he was right in his afternoon sighting.

Hours earlier, while Dante watched Nero play, he seen something different in one of the two rings of his left hand, which was moving over the guitar’s fretboard while playing the strings with the opposite.

When Nero arrived at Devil May Cry, he looked almost the same as the last time Dante saw him in Fortuna, roughly a year ago, in the Savior incident. His clothes were very similar to those Dante met him in, perhaps the only significant difference was that his hair seemed to have grown. So, with a wardrobe that didn’t change much, it goes without saying that the reddish emblem of The Order of the Sword was still visible on the sides of the coat’s shoulders he wore, as well as continuing to be present in the ring that he used in one of his left fingers.

As time went on and feeling more comfortable in the presence of the owner of the shop where he now worked, Nero explained one day to Dante that even if he no longer belonged to the Order -not officially a least- and although in general he hated that institution, there were two things that Nero never disliked: the weapons and its crest, being that the reason he still carried the emblem of the Sword, just for the fact that it was some of the few things he honestly liked it from Fortuna, regardless of its meaning or the group that used it. Dante had later mocking him about it, saying from time to time that Nero was disparaging Devil May Cry, since he still used symbols from his former “work”; if Nero were truly committed to this new place, the name of the shop in would’ve already been embroidered in his coat or at least he would’ve the decency of wearing a badge identifying him as a Devil May Cry’s employee. Of course most of the time, Dante got rather insulting answers to his suggestions.

However, there, standing in the middle of the night, Dante held in his hands Nero’s rings: the one he wore on his ring finger, which had the rose engraving -that always made him think the boy was fond of roses, considering the buckle belt he used and Blue Rose-, was intact; however, the second ring, which represented the pompous shield of the Order, wasn’t there. Yes, there was a second ring alike in form, but it wasn’t the Order’s emblem that shone in it.

No, this ring although similar to the previous one, had no trace of the Order of the Sword and instead, what was engraved in the center of the shield, were three simple capital letters in an elegant gothic style: "DMC".

For a moment Dante didn’t know what to do in the face of such revelation, because yes, it was a revelation realizing that Nero changed the ring of the Order for one that announced to the four winds his "pledge" to Devil May Cry. Did he do it in light of Dante's comments? Or did he really prefer those three letters over a crest he made clear he liked?

Whatever the explanation, a peculiar sensation flooded Dante, a kind of pleasant tingling at the perhaps childish thought that maybe the change was due to Nero now considering that place -Capulet City, _Devil May Cry_, **Dante**\- as his home. And normally the elder would’ve laugh at such idea -even if it was absurdly comforting- but he restrained himself because the other was sleeping, oblivious to the discovery he just made.

No, there would be time to find out about that change later, in the meantime, all Dante could do was to go back to bed, secluding Nero in his arms and letting himself be swept back to sleep with a smile on his lips.

* * *

Lady was proud to say that she survived countless encounters with demons and hellish apocalypse-like situations for years. As far as she knew, it was clear that Dante had more of those "adventures" than her and in a somewhat twisted way, it was fun to share those experiences with her old friend... there was a dose of joy and good humor after surviving the horrors of the abyss together.

That was why on the trip returning from the city of Vigrid by train -with many stops and transfers- to Capulet City -which added two more days of traveling-, the pleasant atmosphere between Lady and her companions, both part-demon, was still present. It was hard to be bothered with the number of days in the rails, when they just boarded the train after having gone through one of those deadly adventures that involved portals to hell. It was really ridiculous the ways in which a door to hell could be opened and absurd the amount of demons -and sometimes humans- who wanted to play to be beings of infinite power.

As always happened, that misfortune began with a job that came to Devil May Cry and that one way or another ended up involving a demon who wanted -of course he did- to end humanity. Psch! As if he really had a chance with Dante in the middle. In the end, things went as usual: the son of Sparda victorious, the demon in turn dusted, the portal to one of the most basic levels of hell closed and everyone happy.

Now the three of them -Dante, Nero and Lady- undertook a long journey back to their city, taking advantage of the train’s tranquility to relax after going trough something so intense.

Even if they were used to it, every adventure of that kind was exhausting. And a clear example of that was the fact that Nero, who was next to Dante in the seat in front of Lady's, was completely asleep, caught between the other white-haired and the window. He was leaning against one of the sides of the older hunter, with his arms crossed, his legs bent, his right foot on the seat and the left one pressing on the glass that gave a view outside of the train. The brightness of his devil bringer was hidden by the fact that Dante had placed his scarlet coat on top of him as a blanket, while he in turn was content to have his outstretched left arm over the top part of the seat, giving Nero all the space he could to be more comfortable.

The silence of the train -except for the constant but gentle rattling it did when passing on the tracks-, plus the lack of other passengers, only helped to make the environment feel more peaceful. And although it was a cliché to say it, it was true that when Nero slept, his features relaxed enough to give him an even younger look, which didn't help Lady, who simply let out a mocking giggle, sighing afterwards while crossing one of her legs over the other.

“You're a lucky dog” she said, as in previous weeks had already expressed “If I were you, I would make sure Nero was always happy, otherwise he could realize he deserves better and leave.”

Dante rolled his eyes at the comment, not answering, which gave her the opening to continue.

“I think it makes me a little envious” she said, sighing falsely again.

“You can always try and rob a cradle to see if it works” he said sardonically.

“Like it worked for you?” she replied, raising her eyebrows.

“No, babe, you're wrong. I didn't find him in a cradle, I found him in a kindergarten.”

“Sometimes I feel sorry for him... it must be terrible to have such bad tastes as to get tangled up with a guy who could be his grandfather.”

“Hey!” he replied instantly “At the very least I can be his older brother.”

“A hooray for incest.”

Dante gave her a look that clearly said: "_really, Lady, really?_", to which the brunette simply laughed eagerly.

“If it's any use to you, I think you like Nero because you're too narcissistic. Just look at the poor boy, is not his fault he shares your hobbies with swords and guns” she began to number “And the color of your hair... and your eyes... and being a demon... and–“

“Can you stop talking about me like I'm not here?”

Both turned to look at the youngest of them upon hearing his voice, who remained in the same position, not even bothered to open his eyes.

“What a pair of bastards” Nero grumbled.

And with that, the former knight moved around enough to turn his back on Lady, while trying to settle under the coat, clearly indicating that he intended to resume his interrupted sleep again.

“I'm sorry, kid” Dante said with a grin “We'll try to talk about you in a lower voice.”

“And hell” replied Nero.

Dante and Lady laughed again, willing to continue with the topic.

And although Dante was listening to Lady perfectly and conversing fluently with her, still a part of his mind was somewhat more distant, unable to avoid recalling several of the events that just happened a few hours ago but that now seemed so far away.

That whole mess they just solved didn’t vary much from other similar situations in which Dante had been involved throughout his dangerous life. But there was a small difference to those previous occasions in which Sparda's son had to stand arrogantly and stoically in the face of danger, mocking the enemy. This time and against all odds, Nero had come to the last minute to back him up, despite the fact that the boy had been practically on the other side of the city when Dante entered the door that led him to the underworld.

The remarkable thing wasn’t the speed which he arrived at where Dante was or the fact that he made his way among innumerable infernal swarms he defeated in record time or even his appearance that looked a little bit awful -and it showed at first glance how tired he was from his fight against time to reach Dante-. Ignoring his own wounds, Nero had found the energy to support him, offering him in the middle of the fight the three stars that Lady had given him in case Dante might need them. In the end, when the demon that Dante was facing -and who was responsible for the entire disaster- got defeated, Nero offered him these stars again, since the first time the oldest rejected them. Needless to say, it was actually Nero who needed to use at least one of them, but the determination he showed to make sure that Dante didn’t need it -even with the battle already won-, the same determination that made him think first in Dante's wellbeing than his… it was something that at that moment Dante was unable to name.

However now, since everything already passed, Dante could finally say what was that "_something_" that he hadn’t been able to describe previously. Trish was entirely wrong about the things she assumed before, about those ideas she had that Nero might "break his heart", as she had poetically said.

Dante was sure of that, because although Nero had never said that he loved him or even given him a statement that touched on the romantic side… Dante perfectly knew what the other really felt, because while Nero never put it into words, he said it very often with those small signs he gave Dante and that without a doubt, proved to be a sincerest declaration of love, tacit but real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used to love poking fun at the possible blood relation between Dante and Nero. 
> 
> And look at me now, Capcom made me a clown.


End file.
